The band started when frontman Dury (born in Upminster, Essex, United Kingdom on 12 May 1942 and died 27 March 2000), had a chance encounter in a musical instrument hire shop with guitarist Chaz Jankel. Jankel took Dury's lyrics, fashioned a number of songs, and they began recording with drummer Charley Charles, bassist Norman Watt-Roy and the former Kilburns saxophonist Davey Payne. An album was completed, but major record labels passed on the band. However, next door to Dury's manager's office was the newly formed Stiff Records, a perfect home for Dury's maverick style. The classic single "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll", marked Dury's Stiff debut and this was swiftly followed by an album. titled 'New Boots and Panties', which was to eventually achieve platinum status.
It wasn't until October 1977 that Dury and his band started to go out as Ian Dury and the Blockheads, when the band signed up for the Stiff "Live Stiffs Tour" alongside Elvis Costello And The Attractions, Nick Lowe, Wreckless Eric and Larry Wallis. The tour was a success and Stiff launched a concerted Ian Dury marketing campaign, resulting in the Top Ten hit What a Waste and the classic UK number one Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick. The band toured to great acclaim throughout Europe.
The band's second album Do It Yourself was released in June 1979 in a Barney Bubbles-designed sleeve of which there were over a dozen variations, all based on samples from the Crown wallpaper catalogue. Another top ten single, Reasons to be Cheerful, kept Dury in the public eye.
In 1980 Jankel left The Blockheads to concentrate on a solo career and was replaced by former Dr Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson, who also contributed to the next album Laughter and its two minor hit singles.
Ian Dury And The Blockheads disbanded in 1981 after Dury secured a new recording deal with Polydor Records through A&R man Frank Neilson, choosing to work with a group of young musicians which he named The Music Students and recorded the album Four Thousand Weeks' Holiday. This album marked a departure from his usual style and was not as well received by fans for its American jazz influence.
The Blockheads reformed several times before Ian Dury's death, most notably to play a series of benefit concerts for Charley Charles.
Books and Water
Ian Dury and the Blockheads Lyrics
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The basket that you gave to me.
One was called hope
One was called truth
And other called peace
That makes three...
No more circles round the bare light bulb
Oddly remaining me of Francis Bacon
Just where you are
And what conections you are making
Yes, such a swift departure
You left me clutching a half paint of lager
I looked up and you were gone
Leaving the Blockheads and all your mates
On the stage to carry on...
The next generation...
Bring′em on,
Bring'em on,
Bring′em on...
So I'm left with the eggs and the bacon,
And you could be oceans away...
But if -when I yell outside the gates of hell-
You appear with a smile and a swagger
May be we can sit down in the devil's arms
And order a fresh paint of lager
The lyrics of Ian Dury and the Blockheads' song Books and Water express themes of love, loss, and hopelessness. The singer has put all his faith in a basket given to him by someone he loves deeply. The basket contains three eggs, symbolizing hope, truth, and peace. However, the lover has left the singer suddenly, leaving him alone with his eggs and bacon. The singer's world is bleak, highlighted by the stark image of circles around a bare light bulb, which remind him of the paintings of Francis Bacon. He wanders, searching for his lover and wondering what connections she is making. He hopes that she will return, but also acknowledges the possibility that she is gone forever. The song ends with the singer imagining a reunion with his lover in hell, over a pint of lager.
The lyrics of Books and Water are open to multiple interpretations. Some listeners see the song as a meditation on the unpredictability of love and relationships. Others view it as a commentary on the futility of searching for meaning in a chaotic world. The song's imagery, which veers between the mundane (eggs and bacon) and the surreal (sitting in the devil's arms), contributes to its dreamlike quality.
Line by Line Meaning
I put all my eggs in one basket
I placed all my trust and hope in one person or thing
The basket that you gave to me.
That person or thing was given to me by someone else
One was called hope
One of those things I trusted was hope
One was called truth
Another thing I trusted was truth
And other called peace
The last thing I trusted was peace
That makes three...
Those were the only three things I trusted
No more circles round the bare light bulb
I am no longer stuck thinking about things fruitlessly
Oddly remaining me of Francis Bacon
This reminds me of a specific artist or author
And then I wander
I am left to ponder
Just where you are
I wonder where that person or thing is now
And what conections you are making
I am curious about the relationships that person or thing is forming
Yes, such a swift departure
That person or thing left quickly
You left me clutching a half paint of lager
I was left with half a drink and feeling abandoned
I looked up and you were gone
That person or thing disappeared unexpectedly
Leaving the Blockheads and all your mates
They left behind friends or acquaintances
On the stage to carry on...
Those friends had to move forward with their lives
The next generation...
A new group of people is up next
Bring′em on,
I am ready for those new people
Bring'em on,
I welcome them
Bring′em on...
I am excited to see who they are and what they do
So I'm left with the eggs and the bacon,
I am now alone with the things I trusted
And you could be oceans away...
That person or thing could be far from me
But if -when I yell outside the gates of hell-
If, at my lowest point, I need help...
You appear with a smile and a swagger
If that person or thing comes back confidently...
May be we can sit down in the devil's arms
Perhaps we can find comfort in unlikely places
And order a fresh paint of lager
And celebrate or commiserate over a drink
Writer(s): Chaz Jankel, Ian Robins Dury
Contributed by Jasmine K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.